Giants president: Holland's injury wasn't 'fake'

SAN FRANCISCO — Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said the injury that sent left-hander Derek Holland to the injured list last month was legitimate, and he praised the veteran’s competitive spirit the day after Holland said he was sidelined with a “fake injury.”

Zaidi said Sunday that medical records back up the legitimacy of Holland’s injury, described by the team as a bone bruise on his left index finger. He said there are often differences of opinion between players and management about the severity of injuries.

“The guy gets hit by a truck, he can’t walk out on the field. That’s, I guess, an unequivocal injury, but there’s a lot of gray area beyond that,” Zaidi said.

Holland blasted the Giants’ front office Saturday night after he learned from manager Bruce Bochy that he was being moved to the bullpen.

“To be honest, I have no idea what they’re doing,” Holland said. “I don’t mean that by Bochy and them. It’s more the front office. They keep changing a lot of things. I did a fake injury. I’m not happy about that. But at the end of the day, I’m going to do whatever they ask me to do.”

Bochy told reporters on Sunday that he spoke with Holland about his comments and expressed his disappointment that Holland aired his gripes publicly. Bochy also said he planned to talk to the team about Holland’s comments.

“You’ve got to do the right thing,” Bochy told reporters. “I wish he’d have vented his frustration in a different way. I know Derek wishes he’d vented his frustration in a different way.”

The 32-year-old was placed on the injured list April 29, retroactive to the previous day. In his first outing after being activated, Holland gave up seven runs in 2 2/3 innings Thursday at Colorado amid heavy snowfall.

“I feel equally bad that when he did get back out there, it was in a blizzard,” Zaidi said. “I don’t know how much of kind of the cold and weather, interacting with whatever lack of feel he has in the finger, contributed to what happened in Colorado.”

Zaidi said Holland didn’t want to go on the IL last month and was told he would miss only one start.

“Guys want to play,” Zaidi said. “I love the fact that Derek wants to be out there. That’s one of the reasons we brought him back.”

Holland signed a one-year, $7 million contract in January to return to San Francisco for a second year. He is 1-4 with a 6.75 ERA.

Zaidi stood by comments he made to the San Francisco Chronicle on Saturday about Holland’s injury. He told the newspaper that Holland had an MRI and the decision to put him on the IL was “collaboratively made.”

“His use of the word ‘fake’ probably comes from him feeling he could continue to pitch with it,” Zaidi told the Chronicle.

On Sunday, Zaidi said Holland’s anger was understandable, given the team’s struggles. The Giants are last in the NL West.

“There’s a lot of frustration right now. We’re not playing as well as we’d like,” Zaidi said. “I think fans are frustrated. As a front office we’re frustrated. I understand players being frustrated, but we’re going to do everything we can every day to get better.”